Curtis Hanson, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, passed away at the age of 71. He was found unresponsive in his home by the Los Angeles Police Department and died of natural causes.

Hanson won an Oscar for co-writing the screenplay of 1997’s  neo-noir drama “L.A. Confidential,” which he also directed. This perhaps his most known acclaimed movie.

Hanson also directed many other blockbuster hits, including “8 Mile,” a drama about Detroit’s underground rap scene starring Eminem; the nanny-from-hell thriller “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”; “The River Wild,” a wilderness thriller with Meryl Streep as a whitewater rafting guide; and “Wonder Boys,” an adaptation of the Michael Chabon novel with Michael Douglas as a struggling writer.

It was “L.A. Confidential” though that propelled him into Hollywood’s elite. The film revolved around corruption, intrigue and murder amoung cops and Hollywood figures in 1950s Los Angeles. It was nominated for nine Oscars, also winning best supporting actress for Kim Basinger. It also starred Russell Crowe, helping launch his career, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey.

Hollywood actors and actresses are taking to social media to remember Hanson and the brave stories he took on.

“Thank you for believing in me & standing your ground,” Crowe said on Twitter. “In reality you made my job a career.”

“Curtis Hanson believed in me and our crazy idea to make a rap battle movie set in Detroit. He basically made me into an actor for ‘8 Mile.’ I’m lucky I got to know him,” said Eminem in a statement to Billboard.

A tweet from the Academy on Wednesday read, “Thank you Curtis Hanson for all that you’ve given us. You’ll be missed.”

Hanson was born in Reno, Nevada on March 24, 1945. He got his start as a screenwriter, penning scripts for low-budget thrillers and horror movies. He spent time on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and served on the executive bored for the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.